These delays are especially problematic in the event of a severe type of heart attack known as a STEMI, or a ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. A STEMI heart attack occurs when a coronary artery is suddenly and completely blocked. Most people can't distinguish between that and a non-STEMI heart attack—only an electrocardiogram can make that determination.
But any delay in getting medical treatment is risky, regardless of the type of heart attack, so response time is critical. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that people who experience symptoms of a heart attack call 9-1-1 after five minutes if their symptoms don't improve.
The average response time, however, is much longer: Researchers analyzing the medical records of over 104,000 people with non-STEMI heart attacks found that the time from onset of symptoms to hospitalization was 2.6 hours. Their study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Some of the factors associated with longer delay times, according to the researchers, included being female, older than 65 years of age, non-Caucasian race, having diabetes, and being a current smoker. The study also revealed that delay times were much less after midnight any night of the week, as opposed to "regular business hours" on weekdays.
The study's authors note that delay times of two hours or more have "not decreased substantially despite multiple public education campaigns." They conclude, "Novel strategies to improve patient responsiveness to seek care are critical and important for both patients with STEMI or non-STEMI."
It's important to familiarize yourself with signs of a heart attack. While some heart attacks are sudden and intense, most start slowly, causing only mild pain or discomfort, according to the American Heart Association. Women are somewhat more likely than men to experience milder symptoms such as shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting, and back or jaw pain.
